Author Archives: Witt Sparks

The moment has finally come. You step out your door for the last time. The planning is done. The preparation is as complete as you can make it. You’re free. The adventure has begun! Getting to that point can seem impossible at times. The dream seems distant and tenuous. How do we handle the job,…

We were hunting for a school for our son and an apartment or small house to rent in tiny San Marcos, on the shores of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. We had just enjoyed our first really good Indian meal in a long time and, although Quinn isn’t much for curries and spicy food, he dug…

When we were preparing for our trip through Africa in 2003, overlanding wasn’t yet a “thing” in the United States. Thus it was a bit of a challenge to get the specialty gear that we wanted for our trip. To do so we had to import some of our equipment, such as our rooftop tent, from South Africa.…

Meeting fellow travelers on the road is always fun. Preparing meals together at campgrounds and sharing stories over the campfire is one of the things we always look forward to during our travels. If schedules and interests intersect travelers will sometimes team up and spend time traveling together. Sometimes this is simply because people become…

The clicking noises coming from the wheel of our Land Rover had started the day before. We were driving through Chobe National Park in Botswana, and for the rest of the day I tried to convince myself that we had a branch stuck in the wheel. I didn’t want to actually check because I didn’t…

A Comparison of Overland Navigation Tools One of the best things about overland travel is that you almost never drive the same road twice. Leaving behind the daily commute where you know every pothole by heart in exchange for exploration around every turn is exhilarating. Getting from A to B along roads you’ve never driven before…

The Colombian police offer who had stopped us explained for the fifth time that crossing the double yellow line is illegal in Colombia (where isn’t it?) and that I had committed a “serious offense.” Never mind the fact that a minibus had pulled halfway off the road to discharge passengers and that four local cars…

It’s natural to feel apprehensive when entering any new situation, and going to a foreign country is no exception. Traveling overland in your own vehicle can add to that apprehension because you are often further away from the tourist track than may be typical with other modes of travel. This additional exposure, though, is one…

Just as you pack your backpack, motorbike, or car for an overseas adventure, you should pack your wallet for the adventure too. Properly setting up your finances for long term overseas travel can save you time and money. The best credit cards and bank accounts for use at home are not necessarily the best for…

How your mode of travel can affect your opportunities for interaction As we pulled onto the dirt soccer pitch where we were told we could camp, the entire population of the village of thirty or forty people came over and surrounded our Land Rover. We were in a remote region of Zambia; they spoke only…